Time Of Your Life
by Avonlea Sawyer
Summary: Sirius returns to the house of Lily and James' demise, only to find that someone has been waiting for him all along.


Green Day - Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) __

Something Unpredictable

By Kyra

I don't know what brought me here, I probably never will, but there is something about the life I led so long ago that begged me back. It still looks the same, dust free and spotless. Lily had a knack for charms, and her Clean Charm could keep dirt off the ground, if she chose to. That damn stain is still on the rug from where James and I got into a duel and my wand backfired, spilling butterbeer all over. I still remember her face when she came home to discover that her beautiful living room had been saturated with butterbeer. James and I were terrified she'd bring out the switch and beat us to death. God, what had happened in the years between school and that night? What had gone wrong in that short space, filled with work, and dates, and dinners? Something had to have gone wrong. Something with Wormtail, for him to do this to them, to us… Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. We were the Marauders! And suddenly, we weren't… I sat on the couch, feeling at home for the first time in to long.

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Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.

So many times, I'd wanted to come back here, come to the place where I'd lost them. I never got the strength to return to the house… Not until Conrad Finnigan, a friend of Luke's, told me what I'd find waiting for me. James had left me something, something I needed to see. So, now I sat on the couch that had belonged to the only true friend left in my world, waiting to regain my strength. For a spilt second, my mind traveled back to that night, as I argued with Hagrid.

"He's my godson," I had said, reaching to take the crying baby from the man's arms. "Please, Hagrid, hand him to me… Let me take him…" But Hagrid hadn't let me, said that Dumbledore told him to bring Harry straight to his arms.

So much of me wanted to scream that I had just lost my best friend, and there was no way I'd lose Harry too. But part of me decided that it wouldn't be the best choice of action. I'd appeal to Dumbledore as soon as possible. But I didn't get the chance to appeal, two days later, I arrived in Azkaban, for eternity. So many times those next years, I begged to find out why… Why I'd been put there… Why I'd lost James, then Harry… Why they'd let Peter get away… But none of the answers came.

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It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

I was lost somewhere in my reverie when I saw a shimmer on my arms, and I glanced up. Standing before me was the vision I had waited years to see. James Potter stood before me, his unruly hair disheveled as ever, his dark eyes as charming. He gave me a quirky smile, and tilted his head comically to one side. "Damn, Sirius," he joked, "You got old…"

Something in my eyes must have registered, because his face fell. "You… you… you…" I whispered, eyes wide.

"What's wrong, old chap?" James asked, ducking down to kneel on the floor. "What happened? How's Harry?"

I didn't know how to tell him. How do you explain to your dead best friend that his son had been raised by his bastard relatives? But, some how I managed, "I was put in Azkaban for your death… Harry went to the Dursley's…" James' eyes widened as he reached out to steady himself. "How are you here?" I questioned, watching him grip the table.

"Sending…" James whispered, glancing to the desk, where the most recent picture of the family sat.

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So take the photographs, and still-frames in your mind.

Hang it on the shelf of good health and good time.

Tattoo's of memories and dead skin on trial.

I reached for him, helped him up. Blood, flesh and bone, that's what he was. I could scarcely believe it. I was with James again, my best friend, the only person in the world that **knew** I was innocent. The only one who's opinion of me hadn't been massacred over three decades earlier. Sinking into the couch beside me, he exhaled loudly. "What's he doing now?" he asked, rolling his eyes to meet me.

I smiled as I thought of dear Harry. "Headmaster at Hogwarts," I said, then waited for the approval to pass over James' face. Then I continued, "Married Kalli, you remember, Colette's daughter…" James' eyes widened in surprise. "God, James," I continued, losing myself in his presence. "Their kids are incredible. Luke and Lara are the oldest, second years… Then there's little Kayla, nine, and a baby on the way. You would love these kids, James, they're so excited about life. Lara, she's just like Lily. She sketches the stars. And Luke, he's like you. Real Marauder, all the way. He's got the cloak, and he knows how to use it! They've been on three adventures already, and they know how to have them!"

James smiled at me, the same smile I knew from all those years ago. "How different would it have been if Lily and I had lived?" he asked, softly.

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For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

"Life would have been bearable," I found myself saying before I could think. But as soon as I said it, I wondered, would I have changed it if I could? Looking into James' eyes, I doubted very much that I would have altered the past. Sure, I missed them, sure I'd love to have them as they once were… But, seeing the future, knowing that everything would turn out for the best. I think I knew at that moment, that I wouldn't change history for anything in all the world.

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It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right

I hope you had the time of your life.

"I came to tell you something, Sirius," James was saying. "I don't have much longer, my power is dwindling, and Lily is calling me back…" I nodded, looking into the brotherly eyes I missed so much. "Something is brewing, with Harry's blood line. The boy born on the Blessed Day will emerge from the fire unscathed, but his enemy will arise even stronger then before… That's what I was told to tell you, and I know you hate that philosophical bull shit, but that's all I was given…"

I nodded as James began to fade. My last moments with the best friend, and all I could think to do was give him a weak smile, and whisper, "Holy Grapefruits, Jamsie…" He smiled in return as he faded into nothingness.

I sat on the couch, and found myself thinking that something always happens to make life unpredictable…

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It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right

I hope you had the time of your life.


End file.
